News from the Middle East Forum June 18, 2020
PHILADELPHIA – June 18, 2020 – Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos concerning the University of California at Berkeley's
Center for Middle East Studies (CMES) and its potential misuse of
federal funds under Title VI of the Higher Education Act (HEA).
By way of background: Title VI grants use taxpayer money to "develop a
pool of international experts to meet national needs" in the field of
"international studies and world languages." Programs supported by Title
VI must "reflect diverse perspectives and a wide range of views" for
the purpose of aiding U.S. national security.
The Middle East Forum's Campus Watch and Washington Project have long
worked to reform Title VI abuses. Noting that a previous inquiry into
Title VI funds at the Duke/UNC Middle East Studies Consortium found that
most programs had "little or no relevance to Title VI," and that the
programs "lack balance," Lamborn raises a number of concerns about
Berkeley's CMES, ranging from politicized professors to murky foreign
funding arrangements............"Boycotts aimed at Israel – and only at Israel – are antisemitic, but
when it involves Title VI funds, it's against the law," said Winfield
Myers, director of Campus Watch. "Rep. Lamborn is right to raise this
issue with the Department of Education."............. To Read More....
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